Hope looks to rebound against Olivet

Friday

Jan 17, 2014 at 11:00 AMJan 18, 2014 at 11:53 AM

By Michael.Appelgate@hollandsentinel.com (616) 546-4271

If there’s one aspect of the Hope College men’s basketball team’s game that has either lifted it to victory or sunk it into defeat, it’s perimeter shooting.On Wednesday night against Albion College, the Flying Dutchmen shot a season-low 35.6 percent from the field en route to a 67-49 loss on the road. This effort came after an emotional win against Calvin College where Hope shot 40.4 percent, and was 9-of-15 from the 3-point line.The Flying Dutchmen (8-6) will look to rebound from the loss to Albion against Olivet College at 3 p.m. Saturday at DeVos Fieldhouse. The Comets are 3-10 and 1-1 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association competition. Hope is in a four-way tie for first in the MIAA at 2-1.It’s primarily 3-point shooting that lifts Hope to a win or a loss. In six of Hope's wins, the Flying Dutchmen have hit five or more 3s. In contrast, five of Hope’s losses have come when it has four or less.If the Flying Dutchmen are shooting well from the outside it opens up a lot of space in the middle for the forwards and even point guard Ben Gardner to hit layups in the paint.It's usually up to swing-man Alex Eidson to provide the spark from the outside. The sophomore guard has started all 14 games and Hope is 6-1 when he scores 14 or more points.Against Albion, Eidson played a season-low 17 minutes and was held scoreless for the first time all season as he was 0-of-6 from the field.Coach Matt Neil attributed the Albion loss to poor energy at the start.“I tried to impress upon our guys that every time we take the floor we have to get our own energy going,” he said. “We have to be better at that.”Olivet should be a good opponent for Hope to bounce back. The Comets are being outrebounded by opponents by about 11 per game. Despite the rebounding disparity, Olivet is one of the highest scoring teams in the MIAA, averaging 78.8 points per game.The Comets are led by four players who average in double figures. Blake Krum, a junior guard, leads the pack with 16.2 points per game.If there was one positive that came from Hope’s loss against Albion it was that the Flying Dutchmen outrebounded the Britons, 23-15 in the second half, and 38-37 in the entire game. It may not seem like much, but Albion outrebounds its opponents by an average of nine per game.“We came back and we rebounded a little bit better in the second half,” Neil said.Gardner leads the Flying Dutchmen with 12.9 points per game, and Eidson pitches in with 12 per game.